Don Dean Web Development

Mobile Friendly Web Design

Web Design Experience

In 1999 I began developing artist and gallery sites with the mission of customer involvement and allowing artists or gallery owners to do their own updates. I have gone on to develop a number of diverse sites for biotech, retail, real estate, and e-commerce sites.

With an emphasis on customer satisfaction and projecting a professional image befitting the subject matter, my clients have ranged from artists to biotech startups to more utilitarian businesses such as storage units and ranchland development ventures. Tools employed include cascading style sheets for more automation, template-based web development including Squarespace and Doubleknot, and content management system (CMS) employing wordpress.

Keeping up with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques, customer sites have maintained top ten listings for competitive search terms over the years. By keeping websites dynamic and incorporating social media content, my clients are ranking near the top of Google and other SE results in relevant searches. For example, a relatively young site is scoring well for competitive search; Google search for “self storage nw albuquerque” for client Taylor Ranch Self Storage.

Importance of Name, Address, Phone (NAP) on the web

Once you establish an identity of your enterprise, it gets sucked up in to numerous directories, portal sites eager to jack eyeballs from you and perhaps sell the info. to other directories. SO BE METHODICAL AND CAREFUL IN STATING YOUR N.A.P. (Even with things like city business registration).

Why? In search results, often many of the top listings are taken up by these entities so people will click those and get your phone or email from there, instead of seeing your website. That means e.g. Google (Plus, or "Places for Business") will arbitrarily set up a mini "page" of your business, grabbing hours and images from your website.

YELP does the same thing.

So if you set up a website, or start an account with somebody like Yellowpages.com, don't just toss out a cellphone number or temporary address. I have customers who still have their home address and personal cellphone all over the web because they used that at first to set up accounts, say at YP.com, or it was on his site for a while. Once it's up there, it's hard to de-link it from your business. Oh, and I would avoid YEXT, which promises to make your NAP uniform across the web.

One procedural note: when attempting to set up your presence in these 'portal' or 'directory' type sites; search carefully before establishing any new accounts to make sure they haven't already set one up (without your knowledge or permission). Because if you create a duplicate, say 'Google Places for Business' or 'Manta' account, then the process of changing or deleting the other one can be difficult or impossible.
So once you select the big 3 or 4 pertaining to your business, e.g. Google Mybusiness, Bing Places for Business, Yelp, Tripadvisor, and others such as Angie's list, or Houzz, depending on your niche. Your next mission (if your business is established on the web) is to search your name and select and claim additional local search directory sites like YP.com, Manta. That way if people are going to click them, they at least have your custom pictures, description, and correct link to your website.